Information selector



F. w. wooDwARD, JR 3,412,933

Nov. 26, 1968 INFORMATION SELECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 29, 1966 INVNIOR FRED W. WOODWARD, JR

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United States Patent O 3,412,933 INFORMATION SELECTOR Fred W. Woodward, Jr., 40 Putnam Drive NW.,

' Atlanta, Ga. 30305 Filed July 29, 1966, Ser. No. 568,926 7 Claims. (Cl. 23S-89) This application relates to information utilization and determination and more particularly to the facilitating of error-free utilization of numerical indicia from tables having a multiplicity of such indicia.

Much of our concrete for large scale use is prepared in batch plants which stock cement, stone, sand and water for combining according to the needs of a particular job and in accordance with specifications from the architect or engineer concerned. For such purpose it is necessary that the 4batch plant operator accurately combine the ingredients in proper proportions to produce a specified qu'antity when requested.

A further complicating factor is that the moisture content in the sand that is used varies widely and the actual content must Ibe considered in preparing the mixture.

It has been the practice to prepare tables of information known as batch cards on which are listed varying quantities of concrete with the amounts necessary for their preparation of cement, stone, sand and water, in accordance with specications. The line or row for the selected quantity has of necessity included a multiplicity of columns or rows for varying amounts of sand and water depending on the existing moisture content of the sand. Such batch cards ordinarily contain a large number of numbers such as 143 multi-digit numbers contained in 1l horizontal and 13 vertical lines and columns. The batch operator has the problem of accurately selecting the desired information from the maze of numbers while performing other attendant duties such as observing a scale indicator, assuring proper location of trucks under the chutes, and communicating with others close by. Accordingly, it has been diicult for -batch operators to continuously and without error select the correct numbers from the batch cards, and errors have been costly.

Acrordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a batch card holder by means of which the operator may instantly select the numbers on the card which apply to the quantity desired and in which other numbers are masked from view.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a plan View of a device in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2, a side elevation;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, sections on the lines 3-3, 4-4 and 5 5, respectively, of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6, a plan view of the device in open position; and

FIG. 7, an elevation looking from the top of FIG. 6.

Briey stated the invention includes a holder for a batch card or the like, the card being shiftable longitudinally of its columns of numbers or indicia and the holder having a front portion which masks all except one line of indicia, and additional masking means shiftable longitudinally of the holder and which masks all except a small portion of that part of the line which it covers.

With further reference to the drawings, the embodiment illustrated includes a back member which is relatively thin and flat and having a vertical or longitudinal slot 11 therein whose sides are preferably undercut as indicated at 12 to receive and retain a slide 13 adjacent to the left side of the back member. Stops 14 may be provided to limit movement of the slide. The slide has means for attaching a card or the like thereto, that illustrated including an upper relatively short peg 15 and a lower relatively long peg 16. The card has apertures which snugly receive the pegs 15 and 16.

The card has columns at the left on which the quantities of concrete, cement, and stone appear and at the right columns for the listed quantities of sand and water which must be used with the moisture content of sand appearing in the particular column. In the example, if tWo yards of concrete is desired and the sand is found to have a moisture content of 5%, it will be observed that 1100 pounds of cement will be required, 3200 pounds of stone, 5200 pounds of sand, and 48 gallons of water.

The holder illustrated includes a front member which has a first aperture or opening 20 and a second aperture or opening 21. The first aperture 20 is of sufficient length to expose the lirst three columns on the card corresponding to yards of concrete, pounds of cement, and pounds of stone.

The second opening 21 is exposed along the same line as opening 20 and is of a length to expose the remainder of the line including, as illustrated, amounts of sand and water for sand with moisture percentages from 3% to 12%.

In order to mask from View all except the numbers for the sand actually used, a shiftable mask 24 is mounted on the back of the front member. The mask is of a width corresponding to that of the columns on which the sand and water are listed and of a height so that separate columns may be uncovered or exposed as the mask is shifted. The mask has apertures 25, 26, etc., arranged diagonally or like stair-steps so that as the mask is shifted 4vertically different portions of the line are exposed. The mask has a -relatively long pin 35 projecting through slot 36 in the front by means of which it may be shifted and a second pin 37 which rides in a slot 38 in the rear face of the front member for the purpose of guiding it. A sheet member 40 is mounted by its sides on the back of the mask in order to retain it in position and to prevent any frictional engagement between it and the batch card.

The front and back members are mounted in such a manner that they may be easily separated for the insertion of a desired -batch card and positioned correctly for operation. This is accomplished by hinges 41, 42 in the example illustrated.

In order to expose the right-hand side of the batch card on which identification appears, the front member preferably leaves exposed the right extremity C of the card and the back member.

While the form of the invention described is particularly useful, it is apparent that various modifications are Within its scope and, therefore, the invention is not precisely limited to that described, but only as in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for visually selecting specific indicia from a table having a multiplicity of rows of lines and columns of such indicia and for masking non-selected indicia thereon, ycomprising a holder for said table, said holder comprising removably attached front and back members, means mounting said table on said back member, said means permitting longitudinal shifting of said table along a row of indicia, the front member overlying said table, said front member having rst means through which a lirst portion of a row on said table may be exposed, said front member having second means through which a second portion of said row of said table may be exposed, whereby the shifting of said table permits registration of said first and second means with a selected row on said table, and masking means movably mounted on said front member and covering said second means, said masking means having guide means engaging said front member and a plurality of exposure means each of which is selectively registrable with a different unitary portion of said row, said exposure means selectively exposing various portions of said row as said masking means is shifted.

2. The invention of claim 1, in which the back member has pin means for mounting the table, and the front member has an aperture through which a pin means projects for moving the table.

3. The invention of claim 1, in which the masking means is a sheet member, and a pin is connected to the sheet member and extends through a `slot in the front member for shifting the masking member.

4. The invention of claim 1, in Which the masking means is -a sheet member, means extend from the sheet member outwardly of the front member for shifting the masking member, and a cover member is interposed between the masking member and the back member.

5. The invention of claim 1, in which the masking means is a sheet member, and the exposure means comprises a plurality of diagonally positioned openings.

6. The invention of claim 1, in which the front vand back members are hinged together.

7. The invention of claim 1, in which a portion of the table not covered by indicia is visible from the front of the device.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,732,983 10/1929 Orchard 23589 2,480,228 8/1949 Diamond 235-87 2,605,048 7/1952 Jordan 235-89 3,005,586 10/1961 Stevenson 23S-89 3,082,947 3/1963 Livingston 23S-88 STEPHEN I. TOMSKY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR VISUALLY SELECTING SPECIFIC INDICIA FROM A TABLE HAVING A MULTIPLICITY OF ROWS OF LINES AND COLUMNS OF SUCH INDICIA AN FOR MASKING NON-SELECTED INDICIA THEREON, COMPRISING A HOLDER FOR SAID TABLE, SAID HOLDER COMPRISING REMOVABLY ATTACHED FRONT AND BACK MEMBERS, MEANS MOUNTING SAID TABLE ON SAID BACK MEMBER, SAID MEANS PERMITTING LONGITUDINAL SHIFTING OF SAID TABLE ALONG A ROW OF INDICIA, THE FRONT MEMBER OVERLYING SAID TABLE, SAID FRONT MEMBER HAVING FIRST MEANS THROUGH WHICH A FIRST PORTION OF A ROW ON SAID TABLE MAY BE EXPOSED, SAID FRONT MEMBER HAVING SECOND MEANS THROUGH WHICH A SECOND PORTION OF SAID ROW OF SAID TABLE MAY BE EXPOSED, WHEREBY THE SHIFTING OF SAID TABLE PERMITS REGISTRATION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEANS WITH A SELECTED ROW ON SAID TABLE, AND MASKING MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRONT MEMBER AND COVERING SAID SECOND MEANS, SAID MASKING MEANS HAVING GUIDE MEANS ENGAGING SAID FRONT MEMBER AND A PLURALITY OF EXPOSURE MEANS EACH OF WHICH IS SELECTIVELY REGISTRABLE WITH A DIFFERENT UNITARY PORTION OF SAID ROW, SAID EXPOSURE MEANS SELECTIVELY EXPOSING VARIOUS PORTIONS OF SAID ROW AS SAID MASKING MEAN IS SHIFTED. 